Silica Exposure in Countertop Fabrication & Installation: OSHA’s 2025 Hazard Alert & What You Must Know

For companies manufacturing, polishing, or installing stone and engineered countertops, crystalline silica exposure remains a significant and evolving risk in 2025. Recent enforcement actions, regulatory updates, and renewed OSHA focus on engineered stone make it critical that employers and safety professionals understand the hazard, the rules, and effective control strategies.

Why Silica Exposure Matters Now

Silica (crystalline silica, typically quartz) is present in natural stone materials (e.g., granite, sandstone, quartzite) and especially in engineered stone composites, which often contain over 90 % silica. During processes like cutting, grinding, polishing, routing, or chipping, fine respirable silica particles are released. Inhalation of these particles can lead to serious health outcomes such as:

• Silicosis (chronic, accelerated, or acute)

• Lung cancer

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

• Kidney disease

These health effects are irreversible, progressive, and can be fatal.

In recent years, OSHA and NIOSH have documented rising cases of silicosis among countertop workers, especially those working with engineered stone.

OSHA Regulations & Enforcement Focus (2025)

Regulatory Standards

The applicable standards remain:

• General Industry & Maritime — 29 CFR 1910.1053

• Construction — 29 CFR 1926.1153

These set limits on worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica: a permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 50 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) (8‑hour TWA) and an action level of 25 µg/m³.

Targeted Inspection Initiative

As of September 2023, OSHA launched a Respirable Crystalline Silica Focused Inspection Initiative targeting engineered stone fabrication and installation. Covered NAICS codes include:

• 327991 — Cut Stone & Stone Product Manufacturing

• 423320 — Brick, Stone & Related Construction Material Wholesalers

Under this initiative, all OSHA inspections—programmed or unprogrammed—at facilities in these categories must evaluate silica hazards as part of their scope.

During these inspections, OSHA Inspectors (Compliance Safety & Health Officers, or CSHOs) will look for:

• Effective dust controls (wet methods, local exhaust, vacuum systems)

• Proper respiratory protection (where controls don’t suffice)

• Medical surveillance and exposure monitoring

• Adequate training, written silica exposure plans, and housekeeping controls

• Recordkeeping, signage, and worker access to exposure/medical records

Recent Enforcement Trends

• In July 2025, OSHA cited a Georgia-based countertop manufacturer for exposing workers to high levels of respirable silica. The company was fined ~$33,000 for violations, including a lack of respirators, inadequate air monitoring, and failure to train workers.

• In August 2024, a Chicago countertop maker was hit with over a million dollars in fines after inspectors found employees exposed to silica levels up to six times the permissible limit, in part following a worker’s need for a double-lung transplant tied to accelerated silicosis.

• In September 2023, OSHA announced a compliance initiative to intensify oversight and assistance specifically in engineered stone fabrication and installation.

These cases underscore that enforcement is no longer hypothetical — OSHA is actively pursuing violations in this sector.

Best Practices for Compliance & Worker Protection

Whether you operate a fabrication shop, perform field installations, or manage a multi-state operations footprint, the following strategies are essential to reduce silica risk:

1. Exposure Assessment & Monitoring

• Engage a qualified industrial hygienist to conduct baseline and periodic air sampling using worker-equivalent personal sampling methods (mirroring OSHA’s procedures).

• Monitor during typical work tasks (cutting, grinding, polishing).

• Document all results and use them to verify compliance with the PEL and Action Level thresholds.

2. Engineering Controls & Dust Suppression

• Use wet-cutting, water sprays, slurries, or wet-edge tools on grinders and routers at the point where dust is generated.

• Equip tools with local exhaust ventilation (LEV) or hoods tied to HEPA-filtered vacuum systems when wet methods aren’t feasible.

• Maintain negative pressure, effective capture zones, and appropriate filter maintenance.

• Consider full enclosure or isolation of dust-generating processes where practicable.

3. Administrative & Work Practice Controls

• Limit the duration workers spend in high-dust areas.

• Rotate tasks among workers to minimize individual exposure.

• Schedule the dust-generating tasks at times with fewer workers exposed.

• Maintain clean work environments using HEPA vacuuming rather than dry sweeping.

• Implement strict housekeeping using wet wipe-downs or HEPA vacuums.

4. Respiratory Protection

Where engineering and administrative controls cannot reliably keep exposures below the PEL, provide:

• Proper respirators (e.g. N95, P100 or assigned protection factor respirators)

• Fit testing and medical clearance

• Maintenance, cleaning, and replacement protocols

• Training on proper usage, donning/doffing, and limitations

5. Medical Surveillance & Worker Health Policies

• Provide baseline and periodic medical examinations to exposed workers.

• Maintain exposure and medical records accessible to employees.

• Establish clear exposure control plans, hygiene facilities (wash stations, showers, changing rooms), and prohibit eating or drinking in dusty areas.

• Train employees on silica hazards, signs/symptoms, controls, and reporting procedures.

6. Documentation, Training & Communication

• Maintain a written silica exposure control plan customized for your facility or project.

• Train all personnel in hazard awareness, protective measures, respirator use, and medical requirements.

• Post warnings, maintain MSDS / SDS for materials, and ensure clear communication of silica hazards.

• Ensure recordkeeping in compliance with OSHA’s requirements (e.g., 29 CFR 1910.1020 for exposure and medical records).

Trends & Actions to Watch in 2025

• OSHA is expected to maintain an elevated enforcement focus in the engineered stone and countertop industry under its programmed inspection initiative.

• Political and legal dynamics around MSHA’s silica rule may influence mining-related compliance efforts, though these have less direct relevance to surface countertop work.

• Advances in sensor-based real-time dust monitoring and automated tool shrouds may reduce reliance on administrative controls over time.

• Litigation and workers’ claims under silicosis and respiratory injury are rising in the engineered stone industry, raising liability exposure.

• State and local jurisdictions (especially in states with aggressive safety regimes) may adopt more strict rules or “opt-in” standards beyond federal OSHA minimums.

What You Should Do Next

If your firm handles natural or engineered stone, countertop fabrication, or field installation, take these steps immediately:

1. Schedule a comprehensive silica exposure audit via an experienced industrial hygienist.

2. Review your current dust control measures versus best practices; upgrade equipment as needed.

3. Verify respiratory protection and medical surveillance programs are up to date and fully compliant.

4. Ensure your silica exposure control plan and worker training materials reflect current OSHA focus and case law.

5. Regularly re-evaluate and document compliance.

If you’d like help assessing your facility’s silica exposure risk, preparing for OSHA inspections, or reviewing your dust control and safety plan, reach out to Phase Associates (formerly Atlantic Environmental).

We can provide consultation support across numerous states, including New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, with travel assistance for other regions.